Afterglow
by Lord of Hina
Summary: The magic of the Sou is fading. Unwilling to let it all end in tragedy, three of the Hinata girls are sent back in time to make things right. However, second chances aren't always easy to get right. Secrets come to light, and friendships are tested. The promise of love is one not easily shaken.
1. Blackest Night

_A/N: This is my fourth Love Hina story I've actually started typing. This is due to the fact that I have so many ideas for Love Hina stories and I didn't know which one I wanted to do first. In truth, there is a lot I want to discuss with the Love Hina fanbase here on fanfiction but I've been planning out how to do that and have fun at the same time. Hence, I won't go into too much detail here in this author's note._

 _Instead, I will give fair warning about this story. It will be a harem consisting of Motoko, Su, and Shinobu with Keitaro. Seeing as I have not planned too far into this story, I'm not sure if I will include any of the other girls. There will be slight bashing and redemption for all characters, including Naru. There will be lots of AU stuff, taboo things, and pretty offensive things as well, but that's a general warning for all of my stories. I will try to limit the use of OC's and characters from other series, but I can already tell that's going to be easier said than done. Other than that, let me know what you think of this short intro._

 _P.S. It's actually been a few years since I've read the actual Love Hina, so a lot of my knowledge is based off of fandom. Just let me know sometimes what really happened and I'll try to incorporate it if it fits with the story._

 **Chapter 1: Blackest Night**

"It's been so long..."

The melancholic voice whispered into the whipping winds of the grounds before her. Staring up at what appeared to be a dilapidated old building upon a hill, many steps almost in the same ruin before her.

"Even after all these years it's still standing. Whatever magic this place held is holding together for just a while longer."

This voice wasn't as old as the other, but it was just as sad. The two women stood side by side as they gazed up at their previous home, the once infamous Hinata Sou.

"Can you believe it's been nearly twenty years?" The younger of the two women with shoulder length navy hair asked, a wistful sigh escaping her lips. "It seems just like yesterday we were all sitting in the hot springs and enjoying each others company."

The older woman smiled and shook her head, her long dark tresses almost reaching the calves of her legs. "Unfortunately, becoming clan head has left me very little time to reminisce, so this feels just like the twenty years that have indeed passed."

"Shin-chan, Mo-chan! You're finally here!" A third voice made itself known from a bit ways off to their right. Another building, not as old looking as the old dorm itself, was nestled between a few overgrown trees, almost out of sight. Waving to the two women was a darker skinned girl with bleached sand colored hair. The two women couldn't help but sweatdrop at the women as she looked no older than twenty.

"Time has been very good to you Su-chan." Motoko spoke as she approached her long time friend.

"You're one to talk miss vogue model!" Su called as she took in the samurai. Over the years, Motoko had become a beauty unlike any other. Her long straight hair was done in curls and as mentioned before, fell down to her legs. She had grown even more beautiful than her older sister had ever been. Wearing a red silk blouse that showed just a bit of cleavage and a black dress skirt with dark red stockings, the woman was literally a dame to kill for.

"Are you the only one here?" Shinobu asked, still a bit in awe at how little her friend had seemed to change. Shinobu herself was happy to have finally grown, albeit, it wasn't as much as she would have liked. Her hips filled out nicely but her chest never escaped a modest B-cup much to her chagrin. On top of that, she never passed the 5'3 mark either. Most people, however, would tell the girl that not only did she have a sexy charm of an adult, but an innocent cuteness that one could only get with a stature like hers. She was the perfect cosplay model for some, and the sexy little sempai to others. A forbidden fruit that wasn't so forbidden.

Su herself looked like her own sister Amalla, but with a brighter smile, and slight younger air about her. Both Motoko and Shinobu could probably guess Su was augmenting her own growth. "Yeah, I only got her a few minutes ago myself. I wasn't sure if we were supposed to meet in the Tea Shop or go straight up."

"Well I think it best to wait here for the others." Motoko inclined, gazing up at the old building once more. A sharp wind made all three girls cringe. Dark clouds were starting to move in overhead as well. The trio decided it best to await the arrival of the others from inside the tea house.

With no electricity, Su had set up a few candles, giving the small place an almost creepy glow. It also seemed as if she had cleaned up a bit. A few tables were pushed together and dusted off; a welcoming gesture from the island girl. After they had all gotten comfortable, an uneasy silence filled the room. The only sound heard for a moment was the ever growing wind and the faint sound of drizzle beginning to start. Shinobu would be the first to break the silence.

"Does anyone know why Haruka-san would have called? As far as I knew, she was with Seta and Sarah in America, right?"

Motoko raised an eyebrow. "You received a call? I only received a letter." She pulled a small slip of coffee stained paper from her bag. Shinobu shook her head.

"I received a letter as well. Just a slip in words, I'm sorry." She also pulled out an almost identical slip of paper. Su already had hers out and waving between two fingers.

"Meet at the Hinata in ten days, at ten to ten." Su read off what was on everyone's slips of parchment. "I analyzed the writing and it's definitely Haruka."

A loud boom of thunder made all three women jump. Almost as if on cue, all the candles went out, plunging the room into darkness.

"I'm glad you three could make it." The gravely voice that echoed in the blackness sent a chill down the women's spines, yet, the familiarity of it kept them just before the brink of panic.

"H-Haruka-san? What is the meaning of this?" Motoko stammered out, feeling just a bit annoyed that she had grown out of the habit of carrying her sword with her everywhere.

A single candle flickered to life on the table that the trio sat at. Startling them once more, Haruka seemed to have appeared out of nowhere sitting between Shinobu and Motoko. A cigarette graced her lips just like all those years ago, but the most uncanny thing about her was the way she seemed to not have aged. Literally, looking at the woman was like looking at a picture brought to life from twenty years prior.

The weight and aura the woman put off was none like they had felt before, however. The Haruka before them felt cold.

"Well, it's been a while. Don't look so thrilled to see me." Haruka joked to ease the tension a bit. It worked slightly, the fearful looks in the faces of the younger trio seeming to fall just a bit.

"What's with the dramatic entrance?" Su asked, rubbing her arms to rid herself of goosebumps.

"It's complicated...to complicated to explain right now. But, we don't have as much time as I would like to begin with, so I'll try to cut to the chase." Haruka finished the nicotine stick and flicked the bud off into the darkness somewhere. She leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. "Granny Hina is about to pass away. Even though we Urashima's are blessed with long life and good health, we are far from immortal when age finally does catch up to us. You wouldn't believe this, but Granny Hina is almost 220 years old."

The girls faces had gone from alarmed, to disbelief, to straight up confusion. "H-how is that possible?" Shinobu was the first to ask. Haruka rose an eyebrow.

"How is it possible for Su-chan to create logic defying devices? There are a lot of things in this world that don't make sense to everyone. One of those things is the magic of the Hinata-Sou itself."

"Magic of the Sou?" Motoko echoed. Haruka nodded.

"Just as you yourself Motoko, are capable of using your Ki with your family techniques, the Urashima family was blessed with the mixture of both Chi and Ki, resulting in the use of magic. The Hinata-Sou is a living entity. It is dying, and in turn, it is taking the magic from the rest of us as well. And since me, Granny Hina, and Keitaro are the only Urashima's left, once the magic goes away, so do we."

"Wait, this is just way too much to take in! Why is the Inn dying? Because no one's taking care of it?' Su was honestly baffled. She hated to admit that she believed in magic since she was a very logical (yet logic defying) person. However, she couldn't deny there must have been some type of magic at work with the Sou all those years ago. She had never discerned why Keitaro was so resilient. Simply saying it was magic irritated her, but it was still a viable answer.

"That's partially why. However, the Sou itself feeds off of the feelings of the family. Meaning, as long as we're doing good, the Sou is doing good."

Shinobu frowned. "So what's going on? Are you going through something Haruka-san?"

Once again, Haruka shook her head. "No. I've been happy with Seta. Unfortunately I can't say the same about Keitaro and Naru."

Haruka expected to see shocked expressions, but instead looks of knowing guilt stared back at her. She narrowed her eyes.

"I'm guessing you're all privy on what's been happening?"

Motoko cleared her throat but refused to make eye contact with Haruka. "She still calls and complains about him to this very day. The most recent time being yesterday, about how he still wants children even though she feels it's too late."

"Apparently she even withholds sex from him just so he can stop bugging her about it." Su finished.

Haruka sighed. "The relationship is not healthy and as such, Keitaro is miserable with her. I don't completely blame Naru; anyone could have seen that their relationship was doomed from the start. Unfortunately, none of us did the right thing in the end...which is the other reason the Inn is dying. Granny Hina has been depressed for a while that it's her fault Keitaro and Naru ended up together and in a strained relationship. She always thought the promise and the love they would build together would make everything alright..."

"So the regret is killing her..." Motoko added with worry.

"What can we do Haruka-san?" Shinobu asked, worried about Granny Hina, but also feeling her heart clenching at the thought of Keitaro being unhappy. Even after all those years, the love she held for him hadn't diminished in the least.

"That's what I called you all here for. This is going to sound crazy, and in retrospect, it probably is. You three are the only one's I can trust, even more so than Keitaro himself. I have a plan, but it will result in you all living behind everything you have right now."

The looks of fear and apprehension let Haruka know the girls were already having second thoughts with helping. However, it was less than she expected as they soon shifted to solemn acceptance quite quickly.

"Molmol is doing fine. My younger cousin is next in line to rule anyway. I'm just a figure head as I stand right now." Su admitted.

"My restaurant took a huge hit from a food critic and we dropped from four stars to two in a month...we may end up having to shut down soon." The tears in Shinobu's eyes reminded everyone of the shy angel she used to be.

"...I am not sure I can promise you anything Haruka, until we hear what this plan of yours is." Motoko offered. The older Urashima nodded with a smirk.

"Alright. Like I said, this will sound crazy. But seeing as I'm the only Urashima left with a good amount of magic, and since the Sou is dying anyway, I'm going to kill it off for good." She held a hand up before any of the girls could protest. "I'm going to do it by using the last of the magic left in the Sou to send you three back in time. Me, Keitaro, and Granny Hina will die in the process, but as soon as you three are gone, this timeline will cease to exist anyway."

A chilling silence fell, the trio of younger women staring at Haruka with utter horror. The plan didn't sound crazy, it sounded absolutely insane. The previous chain smoker simply gazed from one face to the next, gauging what their final reactions would be.

Shinobu seemed to be calming down the fastest. Acceptance appeared soon after but also tears that let Haruka know she did not want to hurt her, even if unintentionally.

Su seemed more grim than Haruka could every remember. Her light hair shadowed her eyes but Haruka could see the sadness from the down curve of her lips. If Su did not want to go through with it, she would have backed out already.

Motoko was the on that was hardest to read. She gazed into the small flame of candle upon the table, the lights dancing within her irises. She breathed a sigh before looking into Haruka's own eyes.

"What exactly is it that you want us to do in the past? And why us three? What about Kitsune or Kanako?" Motoko did not need to ask about Naru.

"I'll only have enough power to send three people back. Mitsune, unfortunately, would be on Naru's side still. I discussed it with Granny. Her problems are something that can only be fixed by Keitaro if he's the one to tear down those walls she put up, alongside Naru. Kanako is the same way. She would end up hurting everyone else to keep Keitaro safe, in which case, Shinobu, I trust your judgment a bit more than hers. No hurting anyone for my cousin, alright?" Haruka joked again to lighten the mood and was happy to see she could still get the blunette to blush brightly. She was a little more shocked to hear her mumble 'No promises...'.

"And before you even ask, Mutsumi is almost in the same boat as Mitsune. They both treasure Naru, unfortunately more than the treasure Keitaro."

"Then what about us? I understand Shinobu since she's been in love with him since they met. But me and Su have caused nothing but trouble..."

Another blush graced Shinobu's face however, it faded as she saw the sad looks on Su and Motoko. Haruka smirked. "And that's why I choose you two. You both already regret the past so I'm not afraid of you making it repeat itself. Besides, you three work really well together. I'm sure Keitaro would appreciate that."

Now the simultaneous triple blush was a new feat that Haruka was happy she was able to pull off before the end. The stammering from all three girls just made it all the more worthwhile. Crowning achievement was the triple nosebleed that followed.

"I truly hope that is not what you are wishing to accomplish with this. I already feel bad enough that we have to keep Keitaro and Naru from being together..." Motoko half argued, but didnt' fool anyone. It was no secret how all the women felt about their ex-manager.

"I'm not above sharing." Su called. "Always wanted to have a three way with Shin-chan and Kei-kun anyway." She shrugged.

"We're getting off track!" Shinobu shouted, standing from her seat, though the blush she adorned lit up the room far greater than the candles.

Haruka nodded and stood as well. "She's right. We've already wasted too much time." The metaphorical last Urashima reached into the sleeves of her robe and pulled out what appeared to be another coffee stained parchment. It was rolled almost like a scroll however, but fit within the palm of her hand. "When you all arrive back in the past, give this to the me of that time. She'll know what's happened and she'll be able to help you all make a better future."

She handed the mini scroll to Motoko before removing a small vial of black powder from her sleeves.

"I'll only ask this once. Are you three sure you want to do this? There will be no coming back."

Shinobu and Su readily nodded and Motoko stood resolutely. It all seemed to be done on a whim and none of the women could honestly say they had thought it through clearly. Then again, the chance to save and be with the man they loved sort of overruled logic and common sense. Haruka smirked at the trio before uncorking the powder.

"Alright then. See you girls in another life." She called before pouring the black powder over the flame of the candle. A sound of thunder rattled to the tea house as the flames burned black and exploded out in every direction. Immediately, the trio of women were plunged into a warm darkness. In only moments, they felt their consciousness slip away.

* * *

A/N: If you're interested in this story, let me know. I would love it if anyone else would take this idea and do their own version of it as well. That goes for any Love Hina fic I write.


	2. Recurrent Dawn

_A/N: This chapter was about 70 percent done a week or so after the first chapter. Then everything changed when the fire nation attacked…_

 _Truthfully, as you will see in this chapter, I hit a huge wall when it came to Su's part. After trying and failing to come up with something, I winged it. I had hoped I'd be able to do something better but I gave up. Plus, I started on a few other stories and finished the first chapter of a few other stories as well, 2 of which I posted already._

 _Now, I initially was going to ask the community about Motoko, but I think it better to say this again if it wasn't clear. I'm writing for the sake of writing. Taboo's included. Meaning I won't be changing the ages of the characters regardless of the type of situation they end up in. Shinobu and Kaolla, in EVERY story I write, are just as much fair game as the other girls._

 _Sorry for the delay, hope you enjoy the rest of the story._

 **Chapter 2: Recurrent Dawn**

Let it be known that Haruka Urashima was not a cynical person. She just had a knack of knowing when bullshit was headed her way and it never left her in a very good mood. At least 99 percent of the time, her bullshit radar was spot on. The day her nephew/cousin had appeared at the Hinata-sou those few months prior a chill had run up her spine. Then almost every day afterward, her bullshit radar had been pinging off the charts, mainly due to how her relative was constantly ending up in situations that were either easily avoidable or misinterpreted to begin with. The entire situation was bullshit, but due to her feeling like Keitaro needed to grow a spine and the fact that Granny Hina told her to not get involved with Kei and the girls, all she could do was glance in mild irritation as her nephew was launched out of the Sou again, heading somewhere towards Tokyo.

"This better be worth it you old bag…" Haruka sighed to herself before turning back into the tea shop. Throwing herself into her work was always a way to calm herself down.

Unfortunately, today was a pretty slow day so she was left with simply re-cleaning everything she had already cleaned. Wiping down tables until she could see a perfect reflection of herself in them, scrubbing glasses to the point where they were damn near invisible. It was busy work that allowed her to think and focus.

That is, until a daunting cold snapped her eyes open. Her spine tingled from top to bottom and goosebumps visibly appeared on her arms. She let out a sigh and was almost terrified that she could see her own breath, when the tea shop was kept at an always comfortable 71 degrees. Her gaze immediately turned towards the direction of the Sou. She knew she would be making an appearance there today. Her bullshit radar didn't just go off. It fucking exploded. But this time, it wasn't Keitaro's fault…

* * *

One Shinobu Maehara stood within the kitchen with an air of depression. It was a common sight to many, but the wounded puppy look could always bring a swoon in any man or woman that would be witness to it. The reason for her slight depression was the once again unjustified punishment her sempai had been doled out. A simple compliment turns into a misunderstanding that she fails to help rectify and boom! Keitaro's on an all expense paid flight to the far reaches of Japan.

Her main depression came from the fact that for all intents and purposes, she felt that it was all inevitable. For the short few months the manager had been there, it had seemed to become the norm of the dorm so to say. Regardless of what she tried to say, when she actually found her spine and decided to say it, the three older girls of the sou would either not listen or not care. Her friend Su didn't help matters anyway.

So with an exasperated sigh, the recently turned teenager of the girls dorm decided to get over the depression of seeing her beloved sempai unjustly hurt again and focus on cleaning…

Until a sharp chill went down her spine.

Shinobu was no stranger to killing intent. There was enough of it constantly leaking off of Naru and Motoko that she had actually learned how to block it out sometimes. However, what she was feeling at the moment was ten times worse than anything she had felt from Naru or Motoko to date. She dropped the plate she was scrubbing into the sink, the china cracking a bit.

"Is that really how I used to think? That everything was inevitable? That no matter what, they wouldn't listen?" The voice sounded familiar to Shinobu but the coldness of it prevented her from placing why. "Did I even try?"

Swallowing the building lump in her throat, the young blunette spun on her heel to find out whom exactly was speaking. Her eyes bulged in her head as she took in the slightly taller, more filled out version of herself. She knew it was herself too. Not by some distinct body trait or anything, although her eyes were beautiful and that was one part that Shinobu loved of herself. No, the reason she knew this person was her, was because she was inside of her mind.

"H-how...who..." Shinobu stammered out. The older version of herself rolled her eyes.

"As if you don't know. Just think Su did something weird. Besides, this won't matter in a moment anyway." Older Shinobu folded her arms and took a step forward, standing barely over half a head taller than her younger self. "You are all the mistakes I made in the past. But I promise you, we'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

The younger girl wanted to say something to protest, however, her mind went blank immediately as the older version of herself hugged her tight. Both girls began to glow, particles of light flickering about the kitchen. In only a matter of moments the older version was gone and Shinobu stood as one within the kitchen. Once the light show faded, Shinobu flexed her fingers and touched her face. Then she frowned.

"Aww, I'm not sexy anymore!" She whined.

'Wh-what do you mean not s-sexy anymore?' A younger voice echoed in her mind. The girls eyes widened in slight shock before she sighed and shook her head. Almost immediately she could feel the presence of her younger self still within her.

"How are you still here?"

'I don't know...what's going on? I'm scared!'

Shinobu sighed again and placed her hands on the counter. So apparently her younger self still lived within her self-conscious. That was an unforeseen side effect of this all but it didn't surprise her too much. She had no real clue how any of this worked to begin with. Hell, she still wondered how she knew touching her younger self would merge them. So taking a page out of a book she had closed a long time ago, she knew there were at least two people with answers. One of them, however, would be in the same predicament as herself.

'W-we can't!' Her younger self called. 'I-I'm more scared of going in there than being in here!'

"Don't be such a baby!" Shinobu chuckled aloud. "I've been in Su's room plenty of times!"

* * *

"Hmph...that perverted scum of a male. How I could ever have thought I was falling for him, I shall never know..." Motoko incensed to the world around her as she stood atop the Sou practicing with her bokken. The young samurai grit her teeth and fought back a blush. Falling for a man was never on her to do list, especially one as perverted and cowardly as the Urashima heir.

She had many obligations that she needed to tend to, in order to show her sister and her family that the male driven society was a bane to women everywhere. It was safe to reason that her attraction to the man had been caused by the fever she had, but it persisted a little after. It worried her to some degree, but she reasoned it was due to what men were for. She was well past the 'budding' age, though she wasn't fully matured. She had urges like every other woman. Men were meant for breeding and her body was asking for it.

"How unfortunate that such a male is the only viable option. I will never stoop so low." She spoke aloud again, putting more umph into her strikes.

"You wouldn't stoop so low? You should truly come down from that matriarchal high horse darling."

Motoko spun swiftly, her bokken at the ready. Her gaze didn't betray her fear of not having felt someone sneak up on her. However, fear did rise as a flash of her elder sister popped into her mind. "Onee-sama…?"

The image faded as the woman that stood before her was far too beautiful for even her sister. Even worse, the aura she felt from her was familiar, yet menacing. Even more menacing than her sisters. Motoko, just as Shinobu, was on the track of putting two and two together, but the absurdity of the situation made her fail at fully grasping what was before her.

"Well? Do you have anything else to say before I end you?" The older Motoko spoke as she too held a bokken. Their was ice in her tone. Being who she was, the older Motoko felt that this was just after everything that had happened in the past. It was a form of repentance and retribution all rolled into one. She could do away with the sins of her past in a literal sense and also physically make amends for all that she had done to Keitaro as well. Plus she always said she would strangle herself if she ever got the chance to meet her younger self.

"Release my form doppelganger! Face your death with your own eyes!" Motoko threw the bokken aside and moved to retrieve her real blade.

Older Motoko's stance became even more aloof, yet her eyes narrowed. Drawing a blade against someone clearly your superior was a very dumb move. Was she always that trigger happy'?

"Are your senses so clouded that you don't truly know the real you when she stands right before you? Actually, don't answer that. You're too weak to discern a demon from an innocent man anyway. What hope have you for something of this caliber." Older Motoko took the same stance as her younger self, except with only one hand on the bokken and her other behind her back.

"What nonsense do you babble demon? Enough talk! Fall back into the afterlife!" Motoko wasted no more time in moving in swiftly against her older self. Her blade raised high as she approached within two strides. A flash of light gleamed off the blade as she brought it down in a decisive strike, aiming to cleave her older self in two. Her blade met no resistance as it passed through the woman and into the roof of the inn. Motoko's eyes widened as the image before her flickered away. Then she felt a poke to her back between her shoulder blades.

"And you're dead. Shall we continue?" Older Motoko asked with a somewhat mirthful chirp as she still held the bokken with one hand pressed against her younger self's back. Her smirk faded as she felt her younger self building ki. 'To continue attacking even when bested. Onee-chan was correct. I was little more than a girl throwing a temper-tantrum and Keitaro-kun took the brunt of it…'

"ROCK SPLITTING SWORD!" Motoko spun at point blank range and unleashed the attack, destroying most of the roof leading back towards the stairs. However, her attack was once again avoided. Instead of simply tapping her, however, Older Motoko drove her foot into the back of Motoko's head, sending her over the destroyed rooftop towards the stairs.

Motoko grit her teeth at the pain but was able to slide to her feet just before falling down the stairs. When she looked up, her older self was gone again. Her presence was directly beside her and Motoko wasted no time in slashing in the direction. Again, hitting nothing but an afterimage, the presence was on her opposite side. The same result occurred several more times before Motoko screamed in frustration. "FIGHT ME LIKE A TRUE WARRIOR COWARD!"

Within the next instant, the older Motoko appeared in front of her younger counterpart, all mirth gone from her visage. Her eyes were like voids of hatred, her ki leaking from her and causing a pressure that froze her younger self in utter fear. All of Motoko's being was screaming for her to stand down. It was all she could do to prevent from committing seppukku on the spot.

"This fear you're feeling. That man you called perverted scum has felt this fear on multiple occasions. You call him weak yet he endures that fear, along with the pain without batting an eye usually. Thankfully I've returned before the worst of it could occur. You are absolutely nothing compared to that man and you would be lucky if he ever wanted to plant his seed into your dishonorable womb!"

Before younger Motoko could reply she felt a sharp pain over her abdomen. She hadn't even seen the bokken lash out, as it ripped her gi and showed the red welt that was forming horizontally over her naval. She dropped to her knees, the pain searing and sharp, showing that it wasn't just a normal strike and had just a drop of ki infused into it. It made the pain persist as if it had just been delivered, whereas it should have faded away to a minor ache within moments.

The single strike was followed by multiples of the same nature to Motoko's arms, chest, and back. That attacks shredded her gi top and left her in nothing but her now tattered chest wraps. Seeing her younger self in the fetal position and in tears, trying to preserve what little dignity and modesty she had left, the older Motoko's eyes softened. She hadn't meant to break herself like this. With a hint of sadness, almost betraying the viciousness she had just performed, she sighed and knelt next to herself. "You've made too many mistakes. Or you would have if I hadn't shown up. What I have done here is not fully justified, as you would have made peace with your emotions, but never make up for the mistakes you have made. You would never forgive yourself either..." She wiped a tear from her younger forms face, initiating the glow between them.

Young Motoko looked up with regretful eyes, feeling some of the emotions of her older self through the physical contact. "Why? Why do we still love him?"

Older Motoko smiled warmly as she began to fade away. "Because he is the sword that can pierce the shield of our heart."

Just as with Shinobu, the process only took a few moments. When it was done, Motoko calmly stood up and felt the wind caress her body...then winced in pain at the numerous welts all over herself. "Tch, didn't really think that all the way through..."

"Serves you right body stealer!" Her younger voice called out in her mind. Motoko rose an eyebrow and then sighed.

"So you're still here then."

"I don't know how it is possible but I assure you I will regain control of myself!"

Motoko shook her head. "Why don't you look at some memories while you can. Hopefully they'll help you understand this situation better."

Being proficient with her own meditations, Motoko was able to block out the voice of her younger self with little effort before she could reply.

"Well I believe this requires a trip to Su's room." The kendoist began to head back into the Sou, completely negligent of the state of dress she was currently in, even as the wraps on her chest fell away.

* * *

"ACHOO!" The dark skinned teen with sandy blonde hair spun in her chair after her sneeze. Sitting in front of a multiple monitor computer system, the girl sighed. Typing dozens of key strokes within a matter of moments, the girl made all the monitors switch from whatever project she was working on to the multiple cameras she had within the Su. "Someone's talking about me." She mumbled with little energy.

On the monitors she would see Kitsune just waking up and grouchily walking towards the restroom in nothing but boy shorts and a tank top that strained against her body. Keitaro was in the hotsprings cleaning as he had been for over an hour now. She was surprised he had gotten over 80 percent of it done without incident. A small blush tinted her cheeks as he cleaned shirtless. It was still humid, making the hotsprings even more murky than usually. She was sure Naru was still in her room. Even with all the cameras she had, Su didn't put any into anyone's personal rooms. As she would not want anyone to invade her personal privacy, she wouldn't do so to others.

Surprisingly, however, she didn't see Shinobu or Motoko. She was sure Shinobu was in the kitchen. She had checked up on her only about ten minutes ago. Motoko had been on the roof practicing and she shouldn't have been done until Shinobu called for breakfast. "Huh, that's strange." She noted, but didn't think too much on it.

"Ah well! Time to start the fireworks!" Su chirped happily before focusing back on the hotsprings. With a smirk, she prepared to press a button on her keyboard with the picture of a robot on it. Her heart skipped a beat as a hand caught her arm.

"Sorry to spoil your fun, Su, but we've got much more important business to take care of." Standing behind the genius was her best friend Shinobu.

"Shi-Shinobu? H-how did you get in here!" Su spun in her seat, her eyes wide. Despite the slight weirdness of the morning, there was no way for Shinobu to have entered her room, especially without her knowing.

"I circumvented the systems." Another voice called from the darkness of the forest around. Shinobu smiled blissfully while taking a step back. The figure emerged from the darkness and Su's heart skipped a beat.

"A-Amalla?" Su fell backwards out of her chair and began scrambling backwards.

Shinobu frowned, a bit worried about the extreme reaction before she remembered her first encounter with the older Molmolian.

"Wrong." Older Su answered with a glint in her eye. Her younger self cocked her head to the side and immediately paled.

She flailed a finger at her older self. "EVIL DOPPLEGANGER ALIEN!" Su jumped up and darted for a metal cabinet, however, her older self was much faster. In the blink of an eye, Older Su stood with her leg planted firmly against the metal cabinet, keeping it closed.

"Resorting to your dangerous weapons so soon? Honestly thought you'd send some robots first." Older Su kept her smirk as she looked down into the truly terrified eyes of her younger self.

Young Su looked back at Shinobu, whom only seemed to be watching the scene with mild curiosity. She could tell there was something different about her friend as well. Panic was settling in. As interesting as something like this was, Su was in no way prepared for something like this.

"Caught off guard for one of the first times in your life, neh?" Older Su crossed her arms and took a step forward. Her younger self stepped back, her mind blazing through dwindling options to turn this situation into one she could control. "Thinking of a way to hurt me, just like you do Keitaro?"

Younger Su paused in her step, her mind going blank for a moment. "What?"

"Maybe you want to use your prima prison cannon that you were going to use on Keitaro today? The one that sends hyper concentrated light through steel beams. It would do nothing to Keitaro right? Except for the feeling of being ripped to pieces by lasers. Or how about shooting me with one of your Tama-Missiles? They're strong enough to blow up a fully loaded RV, but Keitaro's fine!"

"Keitaros likes playing with us! If you're me, you know that!" Su shouted while puffing up her cheeks.

Older Su's smile fell. Shinobu's frown deepened as she felt a ki she had never associated with her hyper active friend. Watching the two interact was surreal enough. This was more akin to what she assumed Motoko would do.

"Keitaro loves you, deeply." Older Su spoke quietly. Younger Su nodded her head, a small smile beginning to return to her face. "So why do you constantly hurt the person that loves you? Do you hate him?"

The smile that was forming faded instantly. "Of course not! I really like Keitaros! He makes funny faces when you hit him and blow him up!"

Older Su stomped her foot. "You are speaking with yourself right now. Drop the bullshit attitude and admit what you are denying."

Even Shinobu flinched at the outburst. She could only wonder what younger Su was feeling. For a moment, she felt like helping the younger version of her friend. However, she remembered a conversation she had with the older version at some point in the future.

Su had admitted to acting the way she did when they had all lived in the Sou. She wasn't completely socially aware of what she was doing, but she was aware enough that she had eventually needed to confront her demons about what she had also been doing to their beloved manager. Su had always wanted to remain a child. It was something even more deeply rooted than what they had learned from her sister. After a while, she honestly believed the only reason Keitaro loved her and the other girls so much was because they abused him.

"I-I'm not denying anything! Why are you doing this you stupid old lady!" Su tried to argue but the tears forming in her eyes were proof that she was already losing.

"I'm you, finally grown up. Not too far off from where you are now, if you only would admit it to yourself."

Shinobu sighed loudly, grabbing both of the girls attention. "Su-chan, we don't have time for this."

Older Su groaned. "It's not fair. I always wanted to knock some sense into my younger self!"

Young Su took advantage of the small distraction and dashed for her computer station. Unfortunately, just like before, Older Su was faster and scooped her younger self into her arms, hugging her from behind. She cuddled her younger self like she would others. The light shining from them took the tears from her younger self's eyes.

"We hurt him...onii-chan..." Su whispered in her older visage's embrace.

"Yeah...we did. But now we can make it right."

The light lasted a few moments longer before the Older Su vanished.

"Su?" Shinobu asked curiously. She was still far from understanding how any of this was possible.

"Aww, I'm not sexy anymore!" She whined. Shinobu giggled and even heard her younger self trying to stifle her own mirth.

"So is younger you still in there?"

Su paused and immediately heard her younger form screaming out Molmolian curses. Though there was more excitement than anything else at the prospect of something not discovered by science happening.

"We should definitely experiment on ourself! We can survive without an arm or two right?" Her younger voice spoke a mile a minute.

"I see what you mean." Su confirmed to Shinobu.

With the tension starting to fall fast, Shinobu and Su hugged each other. "So what now?" Shinobu asked.

"I guess we should find Motoko-chan." Su shrugged. Turning to her computers, she wasn't surprised to see Motoko making a beeline to her room already. However, her eyes widened as she noticed her state of dress. It didn't help that Keitaro was done with the springs and was currently on his way up the stairs. "If what I think is about to happen..." Su trailed off. Shinobu was looking over her shoulder and observing the same. If their manager's luck held up like it usually did…

"Oh fuck." The girls said simultaneously as Naru's door opened just as Motoko appeared at one end of the hall and Keitaro appeared at the other.

"Not even an hour back and we're going to let sempai get hurt again!" Shinobu cried.

Su could only swallow. 'I hope you can handle this alone this one time Motoko-chan…'

* * *

A/N: If anyone's not scared away yet, what do you think? Should the younger selves remain for a while longer as extra conscious or should they fade away before the end of the next chapter?


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